Designers with a story to tell
Print Edition
Salon Precieux was brought to Shanghai recently for the first time, bringing jewelry and watches made by independent designers in France.
A total of 19 brands were showcased at the three-day event.
Karine Margraff, founder of Salon Precieux, said it is important to develop a market outside France. She added that she wanted to highlight new talent and businesses. “I based my selection on brands that tell a story about the spirit of France,” she said. “The designers I’ve selected have created great pieces with a ‘whole story’ to tell.”
Among the selections, three designers and their brands stood out due to their creativity.
Salon Precieux was first held in Paris in 2008.
Philippe Tournaire is a jeweler who connects the world of stones and precious metals with the history of science, architecture and art. His creations are immediately recognizable, particularly the “architectural” rings that allow you to “wear” your favorite cities all day long.
Tournaire’s story started in the small hamlet of Saint-Germain-Laval near Montbrison in the Loire. Now he works in a Lyon workshop with 50 people.
Tournaire wanted to understand the world before devoting himself to the sculpture of metals, so each time he went to Paris, he spent long hours at the Musee de l’Homme, on the Place du Trocadero.
His fascination led him to wonder how the first humans managed to create objects and other jewelry ornamentations using primitive methods. Today, the designer doesn’t hesitate to try ancestral, even archaic, technics while also using new technologies.
“My signature collection is Alchimie which signifies past, present and future — the three major steps of life,” he said. “In its symbolic sense, the past is represented by a square, whole and raw; then it becomes the present with a triangle; which joins past and future. In the end, the circle symbolizes the culmination.”
He also said the collection brings together the different elements that create the alchemy of life.
Tournaire recently opened its first shop in China at Oriental Plaza.
Severina Lartigue has given new life to an endangered craft and made silk flowers stylish once again.
Her workshop in Normandy specializes in creating silk flowers with ancient techniques. She designs fabric flowers and foliage mounted in crowns, corsages and dress trimmings made for haute couture, luxury, ready-to-wear and the opera. Lartigue has mastered the rare and complex skill of detailed finery and applies all operations to her craft: models, patterns, fabric choice, finishing, cutting, dyeing, tailoring and fixing. Her creations are exhibited in many museums.
Shanghai-born jewelry designer Tong Wenwei is the only non-French designer participating in Salon Precieux. She has developed two labels, Shaoo and Shaoo Shadow.
Despite old-school techniques and inspiration from old-time beauty, she lets her imagination run wild. Tong used black and white Hetian jade, rather than the usual green, for most of the Shaoo fine jewelry pieces. However, she did use green jade for one piece. She added a diamond to give it a fun and glittery feel.
Elsewhere in the collection, there’s a string of pearls with a deer’s head and skull-shaped cufflinks.
Tong loves to inject her sense of humor into the creations that reflect a modern fashion attitude.
For her Shaoo Shadow collection, Tong has developed a wide range of leather bags and clutches that share the same design philosophy. The funky, lace leather designs easily mix and match with most outfits. They also spice up even the most basic look.
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